LA SANTÉ par la nature - Canadian Parks Council

LA SANTÉ par la nature
Conseil Canadien des Parcs
•For the past year, a Canadian Parks Council Working Group has been exploring
the contributions that Canada’s parks make to the health and well-being of
Canadians.
•The CPC’s interest was driven, in part, by the decision of Canada’s health
ministers to develop the Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy.”
•The paper Taking Action on Healthy Living – a preliminary document for the
Strategy – states:This Healthy Living Strategy will improve the health of Canadians
by supporting them in making positive health choices. It is founded on a population
health approach, which recognizes that healthy behaviours are strongly
influenced by the social, economic and physical environments where
Canadians live, work, learn and play.
•From the outset of the Healthy Living Strategy, the contribution of setting to the
pursuit of healthy lifestyles has been recognized as very important. Consequently,
Parks and Protected Areas have a huge natural advantage in seeking to attract the
public and involve them in healthy activities.
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LA SANTÉ par la nature
ƒ le bien-être et la santé
personnelle grâce à un
environnement sain
ƒ la participation à des
activités qui favorisent le
bien-être
•The HEALTHY by Nature communication program, being proposed by the
Canadian Parks Council, will provide opportunities to engage Canadians and to
have them think of parks in a fresh way - a way that emphasizes the link between
their personal health and the health of their families, their communities and the
environment.
•It will also make a tangible contribution to the goals of the Pan-Canadian Healthy
Living Strategy by encouraging people to participate in activities that will improve
their physical and emotional well-being.
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LA SANTÉ par la nature
ƒ Créer des alliances avec
ƒ les ministères de la Santé
ƒ les ONG du monde de
la santé
ƒ les organismes ayant un
intérêt dans les parcs,
les loisirs et la
conservation
•One of the three guiding principles of the Healthy Living Strategy is partnership and
shared responsibility.
•Involvement in the Strategy will enable the parks sector to forge alliances with
other ministries (principally health, sport & fitness and community development) as
well as with health promotion NGO’s such as those concerned with Asthma, Heart
Disease and Arthritis and others with an interest in parks, recreation and
conservation like the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association or Nature
Canada.
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LA SANTÉ par la nature
1. Les parcs : pour votre santé
2. Les parcs : pour votre
famille
3. Les parcs : pour votre âme
4. Les parcs : pour votre
communauté
5. Les parcs : pour votre
environnement
The HEALTHY by Nature program provides a consistent set of messages that can
be implemented on a variety of levels. Individual park agencies can use it alone or
with partners and park agencies collectively can advance the program nationally alone, or in collaboration with others. It stresses the need for a personal and
community-level commitment to making healthy choices about activity levels as well
as a commitment to conservation and parks.
A number of park agencies have already embraced the HEALTHY by Nature
concept and are contributing to healthy living programs in their jurisdictions.
Endorsement by Ministers responsible for Parks would enable the CPC to speak
definitively and with one voice in national discussions aimed at positioning parks as
important players in the Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy and securing funding
to enable park agencies to contribute to achieving its objectives.
Five key messages are at the centre of the communication program:
•The opportunities that parks provide for year-round, healthful outdoor activities
(such as hiking, canoeing, walking and cross-country skiing) can play a direct role in
addressing physical inactivity, one of the key preventable risk factors for chronic
disease. One of the 3 targets in the Healthy Living Strategy is raise the proportion of
Canadians who participate in regular physical activity by 20% over the next ten
years.
•As Canada’s population becomes ever more urbanized the opportunities that parks
can provide for families to relax together and for children to safely explore the
wonders of the natural world will become ever more important.
•In addition to emphasis on physical activity levels, the Public Health Agency of
Canada has indicated that mental health pressures are becoming a significant issue
at a faster rate than expected. As landscapes that touch Canadians on spiritual,
cultural, aesthetic and relational dimensions, parks contribute to psychological wellbeing, reduce stress, improve overall health in the long-term and provide
opportunities for personal growth and renewal.
•Parks attract visitors, create jobs and can be an important focus for community
pride and involvement, particularly in rural and remote parts of Canada.
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LA SANTÉ par la nature
ƒ Créer un pont entre les parcs
et la promotion de la santé
ƒ Améliorer la santé physique
et mentale
ƒ Sensibiliser les gens à la
relation entre des
écosystèmes de parcs sains
et la santé des populations
I would like to conclude by referencing a paragraph highlighted on page 6 of the
Discussion Paper:
Encouraging Canadians to spend more time in parks will support improved physical
and mental/emotional health, and can also serve to provide opportunities to inform
and educate them about the important connection between healthy ecosystems and
healthy human populations. The CPC has a unique opportunity to build a bridge
between the parks agenda and the health promotion agenda and to demonstrate
how the two sectors can work together to support one another.
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